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PETITIONER: STATE OF WEST BENGAL

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: S. N. BASAK

DATE OF JUDGMENT: 12/04/1962

BENCH: KAPUR, J.L. BENCH: KAPUR, J.L. GUPTA, K.C. DAS DAYAL, RAGHUBAR

CITATION:  1963 AIR  447            1963 SCR  (2)  52  CITATOR INFO :  F          1968 SC 117  (10)  F          1972 SC 484  (12)  R          1974 SC1146  (6,10)  RF         1982 SC 949  (18,53)  R          1985 SC 195  (21)  RF         1992 SC 604  (92)

ACT: Police   Investigation--Report   by   Police,    Enforcement Branch--Motion to quash--High Court, Powers of--Indian Penal Code,  1860  (Act  XLV  of 1860),  ss.  420,  12OB--Code  of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (Act V of 1898), ss. 154, 156,  439 and 561A.

HEADNOTE: A  Sub-Inspcctor  of  Police, Enforcement  Branch,  filed  a report  before  the  Police Officer-in-charge  of  a  Police Station alleging that the respondent along with three others committed offences under ss.420, 120B read with s.420 Indian Penal Code.  Thereupon a First Information Report was  drawn up   and   investigation  was   started.    The   respondent surrendered  before  the  judicial  Magistrate  and  he  was released  on bail.  Subsequently he filed an application  in the  High  Court  under ss. 439 and 561 A  of  the  Criminal Procedure  Code to get the case pending before the  judicial Magistrate arising out of the 53 case registered in the Police Station quashed.  This  appli- cation  was  granted by the High Court.  The  appellant  the State of West Bengal then filed an appeal before the Supreme Court  by certificate granted by the High Court  under  Art. 134 (1) (c) of the Constitution. Held,  that the statutory powers given to the  Police  under ss.  154  and  156  of the Code  of  Criminal  Procedure  to investigate into the circumstances of an alleged  cognizable offence  without  authority  from  a  Magistrate  cannot  be interfered with by the exercise of powers under s.439 of the Code  of  Criminal Procedure or under  the  inherent  powers conferred by s. 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure.  The High   Court  was  therefore  in  error  in   allowing   the respondent’s application.

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King Emperor v. Khwaja Nazir Ahmad, (1944) L.R. 71 I.A.  203 allowed.

JUDGMENT: CRIMINAL  APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal No. 30  of 1961. Appeal  from the judgment and order dated September 6,  1960 of the Calcutta High Court in Cr. Revision No. 647 of 1960. B.   Sen,  P.  K.  Chatterjee  and  P.  K.  Bose,  for   the appellant. D. C. Roy and P. K. Mukherjee, for the respondent. 1962.  April 12.  The Judgment of the Court was delivered by KAPUR,  J.-This is an appeal against the judgment and  order of  the  High Court of Calcutta quashing  the  investigation started  against the respondent in regard to offences  under s.  420, Indian Penal Code, and s. 120B read with s. 420  of the Indian Penal Code. On  March  26, 1960, Sub- Inspector.B. L.  Gbose  of  Police Inforcement  Branch  filed  a  written  report  before   the Officer-in-charge   Chakdha   P.  S.,  alleging   that   the respondent in conspiracy with three others 54 had  cheated the Government of West Bengal of a sum  of  Rs. 20,000.   The respondent at the time was  an  Assistant-cum- Executive  Engineer, Kancbrapara Development  Area,  Kalyani Division.   On the basis of this report a First  Information Report was drawn up and the police started investigation. On April 4, 1960, the respondent surrendered in the  court   of the Judicial Magistrate at Ranaghat and was released on bail for  a  sum of Rs. 1,000/-.  The respondent then on  May  9, 1960,  filed  a  petition  under ss. 439  and  561A  of  the Criminal  Procedure Code and prayed for a rule  against  the District  Magistrate, Nadia, to show cause why the  judicial case   pending  in  the  court  of  the  Senior   Magistrate Ranagaghat  arising out of the Chakdah Police  Station  Case No. 33 dated March 26, 1960, be not quashed.  The High Court held :-               "In   our   view,  the  statutory   power   of               investigation   given  to  the  police   under               Chapter XIV is not available in respect of  an               offence triable under the West Bengal Criminal               Law  Amendment (Special Courts) Act 1949,  and               that being so, the investigation concerned  is               without  jurisdiction.  In so saying,  we  are               consicious of the observations of their  Lord-               ships  of the Privy Council in  Nazir  Ahmad’s               case, 71 Indian Appeals, 203". and  therefore quashed the police investigation of the  case holding  it to be without jurisdiction.  It is against  this judgment and order that the state has come in appeal to this Court on a certificate granted by the High Court under  Art. 134 (1) (c) At  the time the respondent filed the petition in  the  High Court  only a written report was made to the police  by  the Sub-Inspector of police Enforcement Branch and on the  basis of  that report a :First Information Report was recorded  by the 55 Officer-in-charge  of the Police Station  and  investigation had  started.   There  was  no  case  pending  at  the  time excepting that the respondent had appeared before the Court, had surrendered and had’ been admitted to bail.  The  powers of  investigation into cognizable offences are contained  in

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Chapter XIV of the Code of Criminal Procedure.  Section  154 which   is  in  that  Chapter  deals  with  information   in cognizable offences and s. 156 with investigation into  such offences  and  under  these  sections  the  police  has  the statutory right to investigate into the circumstances of any alleged  cognizable offence without authority from  a  Magi- strate and this statutory power of the police to investigate cannot be interfered with by the exercise of power under  s. 439  or under the inherent power of the court under s.  561A of  Criminal  Procedure  Code.   As to  the  powers  of  the Judiciary  in  regard to statutory right of  the  police  to investigate,  the  Privy Council in King Emperor  v.  Khwaja Nazir Ahmad (1) observed as follows:-               "The functions of the judiciary and the police               are  complementary, not overlapping,  and  the               combination  of individual liberty with a  due               observance  of  law and order is  only  to  be               obtained  by leaving each to exercise its  own               function,  always,  a course, subject  to  the               right   of  the  court  to  intervene  in   an               appropriate  case when moved under s.  491  of               the Criminal Procedure Code to give directions               in  the nature of habeas, corpus.  In  such  a               case  as  the present,  however,  the  court’s               functions  begin  when a charge  is  preferred               before  it,  and  not  until  then.   It   has               sometimes been thought that a. 561A has  given               increased powers to the Court which it did not               possess before that section was enacted.   But               this  is  not  so, the section  gives  no  now               powers, it               (1)(1944),L..R. 71. 1. A. 203, 212.               56               only  provides  that  those  which  the  court               already   inherently   possesses   shall    be               preserved  and is inserted as their  Lordships               think,  lest it should be considered that  the               only  powers possessed by the court are  those               expressly conferred by the Criminal  Procedure               Code and that no inherent powers had  survived               the passing of that Act". With  this  interpretation,  which  has  been  put  on   the statutory duties and. powers of the police and of the powers of the Court, we are in accord.  The High Court was in error therefore  in interfering with the powers of the  police  in investigating  into  the offence which was  alleged  in  the information  sent  to the Officer-in-charge  of  the  police station. We  therefore allow this appeal and set aside the  order  of the  High  Court.   The investigation will  now  proceed  in accordance with law. Appeal allowed.